Ceiling mounting for recessed lighting fixtures



K. VERSEN Aug. 4, 1959 CEILING MOUNTING FOR RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed May 9, 1955 2,898,076 Patented Aug. 4, 1959,

CEILING MOUNTING FOR RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURES Kurt Versen, Tenafly, N.J., assignor to Kurt Versen Com- I The present invention deals with a ceiling mounting for recessed lighting fixtures and more particularly with a mounting including a readily installable or detachable yoke for assemblmg as maintenance purposes.

Recessed ceiling lighting fixtures, i.e. lighting fixtures mounted within and-above the ceiling rather than below the ceiling, are normally mounted on a frame support, elg. an annular ring which may or may not have an overhead yoke secured thereto. The support or ring is' seated on or otherwise secured to the ceiling. Normally, the frame is in the form of a ring, but for rectangula-r fixtures it may have a rectangular shape.

The installation of mounting rings or supports in hung dry ceilings, i.e. ceilings of plywood, precast gypsum board or other panels, e.g. insulating or acoustical panels, is normally a tedious time consuming task. The small ceiling openings of most recessed fixtures make it difiicult for such installation work subsequent to the installation of the ceiling.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel means for more advantageously mounting recessed fixtures in ceilings. It is another object of the present invention to provide a composite mounting and splicing assembly for electrical fixtures comprising a frame and its entire cooperative. structure including electrical circuitry, which can be detached from its mounting frame for electrical connections to supply wires. It is a fur therobject of the present invention to provide a ceiling mounting assembly for electrical fixtures which is readily accessible for maintenance purposes from below the ceiling. Other objects and advantages of the present invention willbe apparent from the description hereinafter following and the drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

. Fig. 1 illustrates a partly elevational and partly crosssectional view of a ceiling mounting assembly according present invention,

Figure 1a illustrates a particular embodiment illustrated by 'Fig. 1,

Fig. 2' illustrates an enlarged perspective and partly sectional view of another portion of the assembly illustrated by Fig. 1 along lines 22 thereof,

' Fig. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view according to the present invention along lines 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4-illustrates a fragmentary sectional view along lines 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 illustrates a partly sectional and partly perspective view of a modification of the present invention, and

Fig. 6 il-lustratesa partly section-a1 and pantrly perspective view of another modification.

The present invention relates to a self-supporting structure mounting assembly for recessed lighting fixtures, especially lighting fixtures recessed in dry ceilings, panels or tiles whereby the entire mounting and electrical circuitry associated therewith is detachable from the mountframe, and whereby the electrical circuitry and mounting structure are readily accessible from below the ceiling for subsequent maintenance and servicing.

The drawings illustrate a frame 1 in accordance with the present invention, andaa detachable yoke 3 securable to the frame 1 as illustrated by Figures 2 and 3.

The frame 1 comprises a wall in the form of a ring or any othere suitable form, e.g. a rectangular form, and is provided with a flange 4, preferably a terminal flange having a plurality of apertures 5 formed therethrough for cooperation with one form of securing means hereinafter described, said flange preferably cooperates with or comprises a thin gauge metal sheet 6 to reinforce the surface of a relatively weak ceiling panel and to prevent sagging of such panel or tile between its two nearest fastening points or members of the ceiling or rig.

In application, the frame is inserted into a ceiling member opening with the flange 4 abutting against a ceiling surface and the walls of the frame substantially engaging the walls of the ceiling opening. Heretofore it was necessary to bridge two adjacent ceiling support members with at least two rigid cross connections to support the mounting frame in dry ceiling panel construction. However, with the mounting frame herein contemplated and described no such secondary framing is required since the mounting of this invention is self- I supporting and quite independent of any fixed secondary support, which enables the mounting to have a flexibility of location and which otherwise eliminates the high cost. associated with such secondary framing, and which enables the mounting frame to be secured to a dry ceiling panel 2 before such panel itself is installed on the ceiling, for example, the panel before installation, may be provided with the ring 1 or with the mounting ring 1 together with a rigid base 6 if necessary and which is particularly applicable especially for use with substantially frangible or structurally weak panels.

The invention, in particular resides in the basic combination of a detachable yoke detachably secured to the ring 1 by securing means readily accessible from below the ceiling panel 2 for removing or installing the yoke and all electrical components associated with the yoke after the ceiling panel has been hung. This combinartion is particularly illustrated by Figures 1 through 4. v

In order to provide for the hereinabove mentioned ac-- cessibility to the mounting components and the electrical circuitry associated therewith, the yoke 3, which diametrically bridges the plaster frame 1 is provided with an appropriate seat 7 such as cut-away side walls of a U-shaped yoke or other seating or abutment means on both legs of the yoke and spaced from the ends thereof, whereby the cut-away side walls provide terminal tongues 8 and 9 in addition to the seats 7. For cooperation with the said tongues, the walls of the frame 1 are provided with guide means 10 located diametrically of each other and operative to immobilizing the yoke 3 against lateral displacement along the wall of the frame 1.

The yoke itself is the sole supporting means for all other mounting components and electrical circuitry associated therewith so that removal of the yoke from the frame 1 results in the removal of all the embodiments mounted thereon from the ceiling if so desired for maintenance, etc.

The yoke is preferably provided with tongues 8 and 9 having end portions extending outwardly therefrom and, each forming a receptive channel with the seat 7 on each leg of the yoke, and cooperating with the said seat to substantially embrace the frame 1 therebetween. Preferably, the yoke 3 is a substantially resilient member andthe legs thereof are normally spaced apart a dis tanceatleast equal to the diameter of the aperture of frame 1 so that tin-application the legs are depressed toward each other sufliciently to permit passage of the end portions 12 and 13 through the frame and upon release of the legs they assume 'a positoin such that the tongues 8 and. 9 contact the inner walls of theframe with the said frame being embraced between the seats 7 and end portions 12 and 13, and further positioned against lateral movement by means of guide means. 10. "In order to still further immobilize the yoke 3, I provide a substantially L-shaped clamp 14 cooperative with each leg ofthe yoke. The clamp 14 contacts and embraces the ends 12 and 13, or tongues 8 and 9 Without such ends, and is secured by means of a fastener 15 connecting the longer leg of said clamp with the flange 4 with the ceiling panel therebetween. The fastener 15 may beja screwmem'ber engageable with an aperture 16 in the said clamp and with an aperture in said flange 4. The clamp member 14 may also be used to arrest mounting ttlange 1 in the ceiling panel before it is installed to its upper structure as a time-saving fitting job prior to er ec tion.

Substantially centrally located on'the yoke bridging the frame 1, as particularly illustrated by Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 is a lamp socket 17 on both sides of which and spaced therefrom are a pair of pull up members 18 and 19, e.g. a pair of screws or a pair of bolts, which operate to support a centrally apertured reflector dome 20, and in as sembly, after substantially all other mounting members have been secured, the dome is inserted into the ceiling opening defined by the frame 1, whereupon the socket 17 passes through the central dome aperture 21 and the pull up members 18 and 19 pass through a cooperating pair of apertures 22 and 23 to secure the dome to the yoke 3. It is apparent that the dome 20 may be simply connected to or disconnected from the yoke and consequently removed from the ceiling opening by the mere operation of the pull up members 18. and 19, which operate not only to support the reflector dome, but to adjustably so support the dome by providing any desirable upward pull to cause the dome flange 24 to engage the ceilingwith a desirable fitness. For a substantially weak ceiling a per-. feet, fit is obtained as the ceiling panel is compressed from both sides by dome ceiling flange 24 and mounting flange 4 by action of the pull-up screws 18 and 19..

The yoke 3 comprises a combination of yoke, splice box and. wireway in order that the electrical circuitry assoelated. therewith may be easily accessible and, in fact, removable from the ceiling opening together with the deachable yoke since th housing fo h electr cal c cu are compone t of the y ke self- The yoke s f rm f a sub t ntial y U-shaped ember havin a s b n y U-s ped ossec i n to p ovide ch nnel. 25 se i as e ay aft r mo e pan cularly r bed. n eg o e l s n d yok is i he form of a housing or splice box 26. The housing 2 6 may be mech lly s u ed t the yo t 0 a l g the eo or it may be integrally formed with the said yoke.

Referring to Fig. 6, an electrical conduit means 27 passes through the splice box in known manner and is connected to a source of current within the. splice box. From the said splice box the said conductor member 27, insulated with heat resistant material, passes outv of the splice box through an upper portion thereof and, preferably, through the bottom wall of the channel 2 5v by means of the, aperture 28, and along thechannel or wireway 25 to, the socket 17. A protective cover member 29 is preferably provided over the length of the yoke or wireway which is associated with the conductor 27 so that all electrical Qonductor means are adequately encased for maximum pr tection th re o- What I claim. is; p

l. A ceiling mounting for recessed fixtures comprising in combination a frame having side walls and a terminal flange, extending outwardly therefrom, a. ceiling member having an opening therethrough, said flange being disvnssd agai s o e su f of said: ce l mem er n said 4 side walls being insertable into said opening, a substantially U-shaped yoke bridging said frame, at'least the legs of said yoke being channelled and terminating at an end portion thereof in a tongue, a seat portion on said channelled leg, said seatportion engaging an upper rim of said frame and said tongue engaging the wall of said frame, guide means on said wall embracing and maintaining said tongue against displacement.

2. A ceiling mounting for recessed fixtures comprising in combination a frame having side walls and a terminal flange extending outwardly therefrom, a ceiling member having an opening therethrough, said flange being disposed against one surface of said ceiling member and said side walls being insertable into said opening, a substantially U-shaped yoke bridging said frame, at least the legs of said yoke being channelled and each leg terminating at an end portion thereof in a tongue, a seat on each of said channelled legs, each said seat portion engaging an upper rim of said frame and each said tongue engaging the wall of said frame, guide means on said wall embracing and maintaining each said tongue against displacement, and a securing means embracing the lower rim of said frame, said frame being disposed between each said seat and said securing means.

3. A ceiling mounting for recessed fixtures comprising in combination a frame having side Walls and a terminal flange extending outwardly therefrom, a ceiling member having an opening therethrough, said flange being disposed against one surface of said ceiling member and said side walls being insertable into said opening, a substantially U-shaped yoke bridging said frame, each leg of said yoke terminating in a tongue, a seat portion on each of said legs, each said seat portion engaging an upper rim of said frame and said tongue engaging the wall of said frame, guide means on said side walls embracing and maintaining said tongue against displacement, the ends of each said tongue being angularly disposed to embrace the lower rim of said frame, said frame being disposed between each of said seats and the said ends of each of said tongues.

4. A ceiling mounting according to claim 2, wherein said securing means comprise a substantially L-shaped member having one leg embracing the end of said tongue and the other leg extending over and beyond the said lower rim, a fastener member connecting the said L- shaped member with said flange and with the ceiling member between said flange and said L.-shaped.member.

5. A ceiling mounting according to claim 3, wherein said yoke legs are substantially resilient and spaced apart at their ends a distance at least equal the diameter of said frame.

6. A ceiling mounting for recessed fixtures commising in combination a frame having side: walls and a terminal flange extending outwardly therefrom, aceiling member having an opening therethrough, said flange being dis? po e in t on s r ce of. s id cei ing member and said side walls being insertable into said opening, a sub-- ant a y P d y bridging said rame. ea h l g of said yoke terminating at; an end portion thereof in a. tongue, a seat portion on each said leg, each said seat portion engaging an upper rim'of said frame and each said tongue engaging the wall of said frame, guide means on said side walls retaining each said tongue immobilized, the end of each said tongue being angularly disposed to embrace the lower rim of said frame, said frame being disposed between eachsaid seat and the said end. of each said tongue, said guide means being integral with the side walls of said frame and comprising at. least one-tab member protruding outwardly of said wall and bent over at least a portion of said tongue. I

7. A ceiling mounting for recessed fixtures comprising incombination a frame having. side Walls and a terminal flange extending outwardly therefrom, a ceiling member having. n pen ng e eth ghr sai fl ng b g dis- Posed ainst o s r a f said ceilin mem er andaid side walls being insertable into said opening, a substantially U-shaped yoke bridging said frame, each leg of said yoke terminating in a tongue, a seat portion on each said leg, each said seat portion engaging an upper rim of said frame and each said tongue engaging the inner wall of said frame, guide means on said inner wall embracing and maintaining each said tongue against lateral displacement, and a securing means embracing the lower rimof said frame, said frame being disposed between each said seat and said securing means, a dome member, said yoke bridging said dome member, and means interconnecting said dome member and said yoke for vertically adjusting said dome member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

